Full-time comic artist

“Oh! Higashino, it’s great to finally meet you,” Torishima Kazuhiko stood up and said with a smile, “I heard from Toriyama Akira that you work very hard at drawing manga, and that it doesn’t affect the quality of your work. He is very grateful that I was able to find an assistant like you.”

"You flatter me. I have learned a lot from Toriyama-sensei."

After a brief greeting, Torishima Kazuhiko began to introduce the person he was chatting with, named Yamamura Morimichi, a rising writer who had won the Naoki Prize and had a promising future.

Higashino Hibiki was very enthusiastic, but Yamamura Morimichi was not interested.

“Just a high school student,” he said disappointedly. “I thought Mr. Torishima would find me a good partner… I really misjudged you.”

“Although Higashino is a high school student, his drawing skills are very strong. He even worked as an assistant under Akira Toriyama, so he won’t lower the quality of your work,” Kazuhiko Torishima explained.

Hibiki Higashino roughly understood that Kazuhiko Torishima wanted him to collaborate with Morimichi Yamamura, who was the original author and Hibiki was the illustrator.

But why?

I have no shortage of good works, so why should I share the profits with others?

Judging from his words, Yamamura Morimichi's work has already been serialized and published, and he at most owns a portion of the copyright to the manga.

This would be a golden opportunity for other newcomers, but for Hibiki Higashino himself, it was an opportunity he absolutely could not accept.

“You’re a young man. In the manga industry, most of the skilled artists are in their thirties, so it’s hard for them to have anything in common with you,” Kazuhiko Torishima continued to persuade him.

"A partnership requires mutual support and encouragement for healthy development. That's why I think Higashino is a perfect fit for you."

Hibiki Higashino strongly agrees with this statement. He used to be a big fan of One-Punch Man.

Whether it's ONE, the artist with the interesting soul of the original work, or Yusuke Murata, who sketched the perfect curves of Fubuki in Hell and created exquisite character illustrations, they both possess top-notch abilities in their respective fields.

Because of poor communication, Murata had his own ideas, which led to the collapse of the protagonist's character in the later part of the work.

The once-popular comic strip was also dampened, and discussions about it became rare afterward.

Aside from reading doujinshi of "Hellish Blizzard," Higashino Hibiki has never paid attention to this work again.

Yamamura Morimichi asked, "What works does he have? Is it this 'The Battle of Gods and Men'? Hibiki Higashino, it really is!"

He found the original owner's submitted work in Torishima Kazuhiko's handbag and began to look at it with great interest.

Torishima Kazuhiko looked at Higashino Hibiki, and seeing Higashino Hibiki nod, he did not stop him.

This is a good thing for Higashino Hibiki, who has seen "The War Between Gods and Men," something Yamamura would not agree to.

It's not a good thing that he refused Bird Island. It would be better if he owed someone a favor.

really……

"What a piece of trashy plot!" Yamamura Morimichi scoffed. "It's an insult to my eyes."

Upon hearing this, Torishima Kazuhiko realized he was in trouble.

After winning the Naoki Prize, he was praised by his peers, the media, and critics, which made him arrogant and conceited.

"What exactly are you thinking?" Yamamura threw aside "The War Between Gods and Humans," stood up, and said to Torishima Kazuhiko, "You want me to collaborate with the person who drew this kind of manga?"

"That's going too far!" Torishima Kazuhiko, who had been holding back, finally couldn't take it anymore. "Apologize to Higashino-kun!"

“There’s no need for him to apologize,” Higashino Hibiki said calmly after putting away “The War Between Gods and Men.” “I can’t cooperate with someone like Yamamura. I’m sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Torishima.”

“I’m sorry, Higashino,” Torishima Kazuhiko apologized, “I’m sorry you had to suffer. I was too rash and spoke without thinking.”

Chapter 21 Submission to Tezuka Award

Hibiki Higashino really appreciated that Kazuhiko Torishima was the first person he thought of.

However, he should have given prior notice.

Torishima probably believed that this would be entirely beneficial to Hibiki Higashino, and there was no reason for him to refuse.

No one had expected that the young man, Yamamura Morimichi, would be so unruly.

They don't seem like the submissive Japanese.

Expressing opinions directly, disregarding the opinions of others, is a natural fit for literature.

I've heard that the lives of several of Japan's literary masters are quite outrageous.

Higashino Hibiki's thinking is becoming increasingly skewed.

"I have no intention of collaborating with others to draw comics."

Hibiki Higashino sat down, crossed his legs, and said, “Just like in the mountain village, contemporary young people are all self-centered. I don’t think my new work is any worse than his.”

The Naoki Prize is awarded every year.

Hikaru no Go is a rare masterpiece. From 1998 to 2020, it has remained popular.

Countless people are captivated by it and moved by it.

Many children have been influenced by "Hikaru no Go" and embarked on a path that resonates with countless sages.

Lee Sedol, a 9-dan Go player from South Korea, once caused AlphaGo's collapse in a god-like battle with him because of a brilliant move on his 78th move.

This was an operation that even artificial intelligence did not predict.

Gu Li, a professional Go player of 9 dan level and champion, called this move "a divine move"!

The impact of "Hikaru no Go" continues to shine even decades later.

It doesn't chase trends or fame, yet it remains popular with readers many years later.

Like Osamu Tezuka's "Phoenix" and Akira Toriyama's "Dragon Ball".

As for Yamamura Morimichi's "The Sun Murder Case," it will be buried by time, gradually disappearing from discussion, becoming a mark of an era.

“I like what you said,” Yamamura Morimichi said, looking at Higashino Hibiki with surprise. “But I advise you to change careers. The content of your manga doesn’t even come close to being published.”

"What if I could serialize it?" Hibiki Higashino asked.

“Then I will plead guilty!” Yamamura Morimichi replied resolutely.

After watching "The War Between Gods and Men," he gained an understanding of the people in front of him.

He's the kind of obedient boy who's rigid-minded and has absolutely no creativity.

Instead of engaging in literary creation, it would be more appropriate for me to write news articles.

Nobody likes to read dry, uninteresting content.

Nobody likes to read works created by someone whose soul is uninteresting.

So, we've got this in the bag!

"A word is settled!"

"It's a word."

After Yamamura Morimichi finished his meal, he left, while Higashino Hibiki ate a bite of ramen.

He raised his head and fell silent.

It's not as good as Minami Chiharu's udon.

Is it machine-made?

I really wanted to stand up and yell, "Damn it, give me my money back!"

It's outrageous for a family restaurant to use machine-made noodles.

This business would not be able to continue operating in Higashino Hibiki's hometown.

He reminisced about the food from his hometown, and Higashino Hibiki's eyes welled up with tears.

He wanted to eat oil-splashed noodles, roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), liangpi (cold skin noodles), hulutou (braised pork offal), and yangrou paomo (pita bread soaked in mutton soup)...

"Higashino..."

Seeing his appearance, Torishima Kazuhiko was very worried, his body shrank slightly, and he felt very guilty.

Such a good child, is he really that upset?

I shouldn't have acted that way; my rashness caused Higashino to lose confidence.

"Mr. Torishima, is there anything I can help you with?" Hibiki Higashino asked curiously.

Then he looked at the noodles on the chopsticks with disdain and ate them.

Seeing Higashino Hibiki's disdainful look, Torishima Kazuhiko's pupils contracted.

"Don't be sad, Higashino," Torishima Kazuhiko patted his chest, thinking that a simple apology was too insincere. "This time it was my fault. If you need anything, please just tell me, and I will definitely help you."

Higashino looked at him in surprise. Was he really that guilty?

Mr. Bird Island is a really good person.

"Please wait a moment." Higashino Hibiki extended his palm.

He then finished the noodles in a few bites and drank the soup in one gulp.

He called the waiter to clear the table, then took out the storyboard of "Hikaru no Go" and handed it to Kazuhiko Torishima, who had been patiently waiting.

"Please take a look."

For newcomers who are not currently serializing their work, their comic submissions must be completed works, meaning fully drawn and ready for proofreading and printing.

Only comic artists who own works can submit storyboards.

Higashino Hibiki's actions can only be described as using connections.

"Hmm." Torishima Kazuhiko nodded. Although he didn't have high hopes, he still adopted a professional attitude and carefully read through the text.

"The visuals are clean, and the frequency of dialogue is reduced, which is typical of comic book style."

"The camerawork is very well done, with the upper and lower frames interconnected."

"Even though I studied under Akira Toriyama for a while, this growth is just too fast."

"Most people need at least one to two years of experience."

It must be admitted that even Kazuhiko Torishima, who is very strict about manga, did not find any major problems.

The boy in front of me is indeed capable of creating a serialized artwork.

"It will be a great loss for Yamamura Morimichi that he didn't agree to Higashino as his partner."

Torishima Kazuhiko thought.